Stolen - A Pokeshipping One-Shot
by XxGottaLovePandasxX
Summary: "She just wanted to tell him she loved him." A Pokeshipping one-shot thing - spin-off from mine and AlyssaaaRose's story 'Pokemon: St Eevee's.' Enjoy :)


**Stolen  
**  
Ash's P.O.V – In Pallet  
The front door swung shut behind the black-haired boy as he jogged in to the house. By his feet, his Pikachu let out a small sigh and a 'Pika pika . . .' before scampering away through a slightly open door.

'Pikachu, _wait_!' the boy called, sighing. 'What's _wrong_?!''

Before he could follow his upset Pokémon, a woman's voice met his ears. 'Ash? Is that you?'

The boy - Ash - sighed again, removing his cap and running a gloved hand through his black spiky hair. 'Hey, Mum.'

There were muffled footsteps from behind the door to his left, and a lady appeared, her brown hair pulled back in her usual plait and a grin on her face. 'Ash, honey!' she cried, throwing her arms around the boy. He squirmed for a moment beneath his mother's grip until she finally released him. 'How was your trip with Brock?'

Ash shrugged, running a hand through his hair again. 'It was alright . . .'

Delia Ketchum didn't seem to pick up on her son's less-than-enthusiastic response, instead launching in to a new topic of conversation. 'Are you packed for school?'

About three years ago, Ash had joined St Eevee's Academy - the most advanced, famous Pokémon school ever, for every type of Pokémon-related job: Trainer to Breeder, Watcher to Coordinator. Of course, like most parents would be, Mrs Ketchum was very proud for her son to have a place there and now, in his final year at school, her joy had only intensified.

Ash groaned. 'Mum, I've got a whole three _weeks_ left of the holidays!'

His mother snorted. 'Precisely the reason you should start packing! Just all the stuff you don't need daily - your books, your Pokéballs, a clean pair of underwear –'

'OK, Mum, I get it: Pikachu and I'll start packing.'

She beamed. 'Alright, honey. I'll start on dinner, 'kay?'

Ash nodded vaguely, already walking toward his room. 'Yeah, yeah . . .'

He closed the door behind him, sliding down it with a yet another groan.

'Pika pika,' Pikachu sighed forlornly from his perch on an empty bookshelf. 'Pika pika pi.'

'I know, Pikachu - Mum already told me so.'

'Pika pi, pikachu?'

'Mm-hmm . . .'

'_Pika pi, pika pika_?!'

'Yeah, I'm listening to you . . .'

'Pi-_ka_, pi-_ka_, pika-pika pi-_ka_!'

'I am not!'

'Pika pi, pikachu, chu-chu!'

'Shut up, Pikachu!'

Pikachu let out an indignant huff, skipping down from the shelf and over to Ash's rucksack, delving inside.

'Get out of there, Pikachu!'

Pikachu heaved himself back out, waving a piece of paper in one chubby fist. Ash's eyes widened in realisation at what it was. 'Pikachu, give that back!'

Pikachu waddled over to Ash, flapping the piece of paper. He scrambled in to his partner's lap, handing him the object.

It was a picture - a picture of a familiar red-head, grinning at the camera: Misty. She wore her usual yellow crop top and red braces attached to her denim shorts. Her arms were wrapped securely round his own shoulders as he laughed at the something behind the photographer, his arm hung loosely around Misty's waist. He smiled sadly; remembering the day that photo had been taken.

'_Misty! Let me take the picture, please!' Misty's sister Lily pleaded, pouting. She held the camera in her hands, gripping it so tightly it looked as though it might break at any moment._

'_No!_' _Misty argued, holding her hands in front of her face. _'_I don_'_t want my photo taken! I look horrible!_'_  
_

_Ash rolled his eyes, marching over to her, and forced her hands away from her face. She stared at him blankly, blinking twice.  
_

'_C_'_mon, Misty - the sooner you get your photo taken, the sooner it_'_s over and done with. OK?_'_ he sighed, exasperated.  
_

_Misty pouted, looking away. _'_But I look terrible!_'_  
_

_Ash gripped her chin, forcing her to look straight at him with her beautiful green eyes. _'_You look fine, Misty. Look, I_'_ll have my photo taken with you!_'_  
_

_Misty raised her eyebrows, looking shocked. 'Would you really?_'_  
_

_He gripped her wrists, dragging her in front of the camera. _'_Really._'_  
_

_She beamed and hugged him, throwing her arms around his shoulders and smiling at the camera.  
_

_Slowly, he tucked his arm around her waist, feeling her tense up slightly, but almost immediately she relaxed, her body melting against his.  
_

'_Smile!_'_ Lily giggled, raising the camera.  
_

_Behind her, Pikachu pulled a face, and Ash laughed, just as the lens flashed twice and the photos printed out. Lily studied them both careful, frowning. _'_This one_'_s better,_'_ she declared. _'_The other is slightly smudged._'_  
_

And that was how Ash came to be in possession of a slightly smudged, stolen photograph.

He sighed, stroking the glossy paper.

'Pikachu pika-pika, chu?'

Ash nodded silently. 'Yeah, Pikachu. I miss her a lot. I wonder what she's doing right now . . .'

_I wonder if she knows I love her_.

Ash's eyes wandered to a picture on the wall. Blu-tacked up beside many Pokémon posters and memorabilia from his travels, a picture of a certain auburn-haired boy hung there, glaring at the camera as Ash grinned at it. He sighed. _But what about Gary_?

*•*•*•*

Misty's P.O.V – In Cerulean  
'Return, Goldeen.'

The lanky red-headed teen flicked open the empty pokéball in her hand. Her shoulders slumped slightly, the adrenaline of the battle running out of her system as the large coral-red-and-white frilled fish before her dissolved in a beam of red light, returning to its pokéball.

Glancing across the hall, her viridian green eyes landed on the blonde-haired boy she'd just lost to. He was stroking his fat yellow pikachu, holding him close to his body and radiating joy as he murmured compliments in its tapered ears.

A faint smile lit up her face as a thought flickered across her empty mind - _Ash used to have a pikachu_. Almost as quickly as it had appeared, the smile faded and her face darkened, pain shadowing her eyes. She hadn't seen Ash in five years, not since she'd left him and Brock at the crossroads and come home to the Gym. And how she missed him . . .

_Stop it_, her mind whispered angrily. _You left him. You don_'_t need him. You were only following him for your bike anyway - he still owes you for that.  
_

_But what if it was more?_ a smaller, weaker part of her mind whispered soothing. _What if it wasn_'_t for the bike, but for Ash? Because of Ash? You liked him, Misty - he was your saviour.  
_

_Shut it, you!_ the darker side of her sub-conscious hissed_. It was for the bike! You don_'_t need him! He was silly and immature and weak and -  
_

_You loved him, Misty_, the silky smooth voice whispered again. _You loved him, and you didn't want to hurt him - you know it._

'Um . . . Miss Misty? Can I . . . Can Pikachu and I have our badge now?'

The girl, lost in thought, jumped at the sound of the boy's voice, her green eyes sliding over his ten-year-old figure. She barely noticed the salty tears stinging her cheeks as she watched him, memories swirling like thick fog around her head. The way he walked, his accent, his Pikachu, his hair as black as the night sky they'd slept under together so many times, his chocolaty eyes, the way he blushed when he was embarrassed, the cap he always wore . . . She missed it all too much. And this boy, this Timothy Sinclair stood before her now, running his hand through his spiky blonde hair, a beanie sat askew on his head, his pikachu on his shoulder, reminded her of Ash so much.

'Are . . . Are you alright, Miss Misty?' Timothy asked awkwardly.

Misty smiled, laughing slightly as she wiped her eyes. 'Yes! Yes, I'm fine. Here,' she reached in to the pocket of her high-collared jacket, pulling out a small Cerulean City Gym badge and chucking it to him - he caught it deftly. 'Well done, sport,' she congratulated him, tipping her head.

Timothy beamed, stroking his pikachu absentmindedly with one hand. 'Thanks, Miss.'

'Pika pika!'

'You're welcome - give it a few years, and I'll be able to say I battled the famous Timothy Sinclair.'

He saluted me with a laugh and turned to leave, still smiling. Ash had almost always smiled – that gorgeous, naïve smile that never seemed to leave his.

'Timothy!' she called out suddenly, and he whirled round.

Misty bit her lip, chewing on it slowly. 'You remind me of someone I used to know - someone very special to me. He was an awesome fighter, a caring trainer, and my best friend - and, whatever you do, don't you dare stop fighting for what you love. Because that's what I did, and it broke me.'

Timothy nodded seriously, noticing the wobble in Misty's voice. 'I promise, Miss - I'll never stop fighting.'

Misty nodded, a small smile gracing her face. 'Goodbye, Timothy.'

'Goodbye, Miss.'

And he disappeared out of the door.

Misty clasped to the floor with a sigh, and Togepi raced to her from the side lines, purring. She giggled wearily. 'Hey, Togepi,' she sighed, stroking the smooth spikes of his pale yellow head. 'Timmy did good, didn't he?'

'Togeprrrri!' the Pokémon trilled, snuggling in to her side and making her laugh. 'Yes . . . He reminded me so much of Ash, though, Togepi.' Misty shook her head with a sigh, her eyes brimming with tears. 'I miss that idiot so damn much,' she muttered under her breath, her hand skimming Togepi's triangle-sprinkled shell, her fingers tracing the jagged lines.  
'Togepiii . . .' Togepi sighed. The image of a certain Pikachu flitted across Togepi's mind, and he gurgled - a mixture of rueful reminiscent and desperate longing, for Togepi missed Ash's Pikachu as much as Misty missed Ash himself. After all, Pokémon do sometimes pick up on how their partners are feeling, and during the time they spent together . . .

'_Misty_!' Violet's high soprano voice rang through the hall, tearing Misty from her thoughts of Ash for the second time today. '_Brunch is ready_!'

_Ah, Sunday brunch - what could be worse?  
_

Ten minutes later, showered and dressed, her spiky red hair rearranged back in its usual side ponytail, Misty was seated at the breakfast table with a plate of blueberry pancakes before her.

Her dad was sat across the chequered-table-clothed surface, his newspaper hiding him from view. Every now and then his fork would sneak round the side of the broadsheet and spear a piece of salty bacon before retreating quickly. She could hear him chomping away on the last piece he'd snatched up, and she could picture his black moustache wiggling wildly, the bald patch on his head shining under the fluorescent lights.

Her mum had her back to her, busying herself with non-stick pans of eggs and bacon and pancakes, the radio turned up loud next to her and the floury floral apron she always wore when she was cooking wrapped around her waist. Her auburn hair, not unlike Misty's own, was pulled back in a bun at the nape of her slender neck, bouncing as she swayed her head to the rhythm of the eighties song that was playing.

Violet sat next to their father, her shocking blue hair hiding her face from view as she scribbled furiously in her notebook. Her pen moved at the speed of light and the tips of her ears were pink as she completely ignored the stack of pancakes before her.

Lily was picking apart her own pancake, happily chatting to no one in particular about her date with her boyfriend last night. Her mother would nod and 'mm-hm' every now and then, but Misty could tell she wasn't actually listening.

Daisy was nowhere to be seen – she'd shot out the door this on her morning jog with only an apple in hand and a quick goodbye to show everyone she hadn't possibly died in her sleep.

Misty picked at her pancake moodily, thoughts of earlier still on her mind.

'So, Misty, hun, did that sweet little boy get his badge?'

Misty heard her Mum's voice cut through Lily's droning spiel, and she looked up at her smiling mother.

'Yes, actually. He fought pretty well.'

Her mum smiled. 'That's great, honey.'

Misty swallowed. 'He had a pikachu,' she choked out, and her mother froze.

She was the only one Misty had ever opened up about her feelings for Ash to.

'Oh, honey . . .'

Misty sniffed, swallowing as the tears threatened to spill again. She pushed her chair back abruptly, standing up quickly. 'I'll be in my room,' she announced, skirting round the edge of the table and bolting from the room.

'Can I finish your pancake then?' she heard her dad call as she took the stairs two at a time, the tears dripping down her face.

'George!' she heard her mother scold him quietly before she burst in to her room and slammed the door shut, the tears flowing freely.

She collapsed on to her bed and cried her numb heart out.

*•*•*

There was a knock at her door.

'Misty, hun?' she heard her mother call from outside. 'There's a letter for you!'

Misty dragged herself in to a sitting position, sniffing and wiping her red nose on the back of her hand. 'Come in.'

Her mum entered, giving her daughter a concerned look as she took in her puffy eyes and stained cheeks. 'Oh, Mist,' she reproached her, coming to sit beside her. 'This isn't healthy.'

'But I _miss_ him.'

'I know, honey, I know. But look - have this.'

Misty gave the creased envelope in her mother's outstretched hand a sceptical look before taking it. Sliding her finger under the flap, she tore open the lid and pulled out a piece of thick, creamy paper, covered in neat typed letters.

_To_: Misty of Cerulean City Gym,  
_ We have recently heard of your skills with water-type Pokémon and have decided, for your last academic year, to extend to you the offer of a place, here at St Eevee's Academy.  
_  
'St Eevee's Academy?' Misty sniffed, her eyes widening in wonder. '_The_ Eevee Academy?!'

_If you would like to take this offer, please contact us via phone or email, and we will arrange a meeting with you and your parents shortly. Thank for your time,  
_ Mrs K.M Leonhart,

followed by a loopy, swirling signature.

'Oh my God . . .'

'Take it!'

Misty's eyes shot up to look at her mother. 'What?'

'Take it!' her mother urged again. 'It's perfect - a new chance, a new beginning! Let go of Ash, Misty - spend some time on yourself! Besides, isn't this the school May and Brock go to?'

Misty blinked slowly. 'You're right! I can have a year at school with my best friends, doing what I love!'

Her mother pulled her in to a side hug, giggling. 'You give me that letter, and I'll phone them up to accept the offer. You come downstairs with me – Violet's watching a Pokémon documentary, which I'm sure you'll love.'

'Sure – I'll be down in a minute.'

Her mother gave Misty's hand a quick squeeze, shooting a smile her way. 'OK, darlin'.'

She left with a small click of the latch on the door.

*•*•*•*

Misty's P.O.V – Three Weeks Later  
New summer clothes: check.

New winter clothes: check.

New school stationery: check.

New school textbooks and notebooks: check.

Pokéballs: check

Sports equipment: check.

Make-up: check.

Dresses: check.

Laptop: check.

Pokédex: check.

Swim-suit: check.

What had she forgotten?

Misty was sat on the floor at the end of her bed, the lid of her suitcase flung wide open as she packed, with Togepi trilling loudly and jumping up and down on her bed, trying desperately to gain her attention.

'Shut up, Togepi! I'm trying to think!'  
'Topegprrri! Togeprrri-prrri-prrri-prrri-prrri-prrri-prrri!' Togepi sang.

'I know I've forgotten something, but what?!' Misty cried. 'Stop jumping around and help me check!'

'Togeprrri!' _Hmmph_!

'Don't get all miffed with me, Togepi! I can't go to a boarding school and forget something important!' Misty huffed.

Looking around, her room was in disarray - wardrobe doors hanging open, drawers pulled out, scraps of clothing littering the floor, suspicious stains on several walls, which were now devoid of posters and photos, and the glowing fairy lights she'd strung across her room a few years back were looking decidedly mangled. Both curtains and the door were tightly shut, engulfing her in complete darkness besides the twinkling fairy lights.

'Togepi!' With one final huff, Togepi jumped, catching hold of the line of fairy lights and swinging across the room.

'Togepi, get down!' Misty cried. 'You'll get hurt!'

'Tog, tog, togeprrrrrri!'

With one final swing, Togepi launched itself at Misty's cork board, grabbing a photo from it and waddling back over to Misty.

'Togepi, what was that all about?!' Her eyes landed on the photo. '_Oh_.'

The picture was dog-eared and worn, but Misty instantly realised what it was - the photo of her and Ash that Lily had taken that day. Ash was laughing, his arm wrapped around Misty's waist - she could remember the tingles that small movement had caused, shooting up her spine and making her tense bedside him. She looked a mess, her arms wrapped around his shoulders. She'd had to resist the urge that day - the urge to hold him close, to tell him how she felt, to lay her head on his shoulder, to kiss him.

She closed her eyes, remembering the time they had come so close to doing just that - to kissing. It had happened late one night, after Ash and she had danced away the hours . . .  
_Misty fell back on to the sofa, laughing as Ash flopped down next to her. The lights clicked off as the last few people left the dance floor, but neither of the two made any sign of moving. In fact, for a moment, they just stared at each other, and then Misty smiled._

'_Thanks for the dance, Ash,_'_ she murmured quietly, blushing.  
_

_He shrugged, scratching the back of his neck. _'_S_'_alright._'_  
_

_She took his spare hand, fully aware of the electricity shooting through her. Beside her, Pikachu leapt up on to her shoulder, licking her neck and cheek.  
_

_Ash flicked Pikachu away with one hand, not bothering to remove his other hand from Misty_'_s hold. _'_Pikachu,_'_ he murmured. _'_Leave Misty alone._'_ Misty giggled, stroking Pikachu gently.  
_

'_Pika pika,_' _Pikachu giggled, rubbing against her legs.  
_

'_Misty,_' _Ash whispered in the darkness. She felt his hand cup her cheek and her breath caught in her throat.  
_

'_Ash?_' _she replied, clearing her throat.  
_

_She could feel his hot breath on her cheeks, and his eyes shone back at her in the darkness, deadly serious. She licked her lips, her eyes flickering to his lips. His eyes mimicked her movements.  
_

_Slowly, she moved forwards, her hand moving of its own accord and running through his hair. Gradually, Ash moved his head forwards. Her grip tightened.  
_

_Carefully, he dipped his head towards hers, capturing her soft lips between his. A gasp escaped Misty_'_s as he claimed her mouth as his own - he tasted like chocolate and cherries, sweet and oh-so-addictive. She let out a ragged breath, about to pull him towards her when a light snapped on and Ash pulled away quickly.  
_

'_Shouldn_'_t you two be in bed?_'_ Brock pointed out from the doorway, a knowing smirk playing on his lips. Behind him hovered a random girl, her green hair pulled back in two loops and her red eyes gleaming.  
_

_Ash stood up, his cheeks flushing red. _'_Uh, yeah, sure. G_'_night, Brock. Misty. Um . . . And you,_'_ he said, directing the last of his goodbyes to the red-eyed girl, who smiled brightly.  
_

'_Cleontine,_'_ she introduced herself.  
_

'_Cleontine,_'_ Ash repeated distractedly, and sent Brock a nod before disappearing.  
_

The next day, Ash didn't remember anything, and it was never mentioned again.

Misty's lips tingled at the memory and she ran her fingers over them slowly.

'Togeprrrrri,' Togepi sighed.

Suddenly, a small frown graced Misty's face. 'There were two of this picture, weren't there, Togepi? Two copies - but one was smudged . . .' Her mouth dropped open. '_Ash_ stole that one didn't he?! It was when he went up to the table and . . . Oh, Arceus, he totally stole it!'

'Tog, tog!'

A small smile played on Misty's lips, and she hugged her Pokémon to her chest. 'Wasn't the only thing he stole though, was it, Togepi?'

Togepi didn't reply as Misty got to her feet, slipping the photo in to the pocket of her shorts, but they both knew that, besides a photograph, the raven haired trainer and his Pikachu had stolen their hearts – and they'd never given them back.

And, one day, Misty planned on telling him so.

But, until then, she'd do with the photograph.

That damn photograph . . .

'Ah-ha! Toothbrush!'

:') so, hey guys. This was just a quick spin-off from mine and AlyssaaaRose's story, Pokémon: St Eevee's Academy (please check it out!). It was originally a prologue-tester-thing, but then it just kinda turned in to a small Pokéshipping one-shot thiiiiiiing :3 so yeah.  
Thanks for reading it ;)  
XxGottaLovePandasxX 


End file.
